Amazingly enough, it was the 22-year-old D'Alessandro's first attempt in professional competition. The victory didn't come easily -- she won on the second hole of a sudden death playoff -- but it did show that the young lady doesn't back off when the heat's turned on.

"I came here (to Shawnee) looking to finish in the top 10," said D'Alessandro who is working as an assistant at the Spring Lake, N.J. Golf Club. "I surprised myself."

To begin with, D'Alessandro started yesterday's second round of the expanded 36-hole event three shots behind Tennye Ohr, a Chevy Chase, Md., pro who posted a two-under 70 in Monday's first round. She had an added worry -- two rain delays -- and, as she said, "things like that don't help me ... I'm the nervous type."

But D'Alessandro, who shot 72 yesterday to go with her 73 on Monday, not only caught Ohr, a deliberate, tenacious player 10 years her senior, but then beat her with a hard-working par on the second playoff hole.

Ironically, Ohr, who made some great par-saving putts all day, three-putted from 35 feet on the final playoff hole.

D'Alessandro, who will give the LPGA Qualifying School a try later this summer, made her charge after the final rain delay. She birdied two of the first four holes she played after the delay. Both came on par threes -- one on which she dropped a 20-foot putt; the other, a 10-footer.

"There was no question that the birdie on the 14th hole got me pumped up," said D'Alessandro, a compact player who was out-hitting her playing partners all day. "That got me going. I still wasn't sure, though, how far behind I was. I knew I was close, maybe a stroke or two."

D'Alessandro and Ohr came to the 18th hole, a par three on Shawnee's Blue Nine, dead even. They both hit the green, D'Alessandro about 15 feet behind the hole and Ohr, perhaps 10 feet. Downhill all the way for both of them. They came close, but settled for pars and the playoff.

Oddly enough, last year's inaugural tournament was also decided in sudden death. That was a three-way playoff and it ended on the very first hole.

D'Alessandro collected $2,250 for her victory; Ohr, $1,400 for second place out of the total purse of $11,000.

D'Alessandro doesn't figure on getting much rest in the days ahead. She's playing today in an attempt to become the first woman to make the field in the New Jersey State Open. Then, it'll be qualifying for the U.S. Women's Open in less than two weeks.

"I have my heart set on both those tournaments," said D'Alessandro, who was good enough as a senior player at Wake Forest to make the All-American team.

D'Alessandro has a strong family following. He dad, Vince, a public school educator in Toms River, N.J., is a six-handicapper and her two brothers, Vinnie and Jamie are good enough to play college golf at Rutgers and the Naval Academy, respectively.

The kids are all close in age and at one time they were the No. 1, the No. 2 and the No. 3 players on the Toms River South High golf team.

Other top finishers in the field of 80 yesterday were Jody Logan (74-73-147) from York, who also won a special prize for being the top Philadelphia Section player; Jan Kleiman (76-72-148) from Plainfield, N.J.; Carolyn Barnett (80-70) from Neenah, Wisc.; Sharon Nolleti (76-74) of Yorktown Heights, N.Y.; Jackie Canizzo (71-77-148) of Syracuse; Laura Guina (76-75-151) of Lincoln, Neb.; Lisa Day (75-76-151) of West Chester Country Club, and Laura Haight (72-79-151) of Fort Worth, Tex.

Last year's winner, Cindy Pietrusik of the Westmoreland Country Club near Pittsburgh, scored 75-76-151.